alcoholic neuropathy
 

hi. new on here, came because of a concern.
I'm 29, been drinking heavyish (3-4) liters of beer a night for the past few years with intervals (2 weeks - few months) of sobriety. on Monday I had been drinking throughout the day, may 5,6 beers (tall boys) then at night went out to the bar. after a few beers I noticed numbness in my right leg, as if it had fallen asleep. when I left the bar I couldn't walk straight, I was limping pretty bad, and couldn't feel my left foot, my sandal kept slipping off. I stopped drinking and haven't had anything since. the numbness and loss of mobility lasted 3 days or so. on Wednesday there was some pain in my left thigh, as if I had been running or walking too long, more so an ache rather than pain, tenseness. I have been taking B vitamins for 3 days now and of course I haven't drank anything since the onset. it's Saturday night now and there is still some tenseness in my leg but the numbness has gone and I can walk straight just fine. I am happy that the condition has all but dissipated but I am worried that it may be the onset of AN. please help. thank you.

Hi M, Welcome.

In what way can we help you?

Have you been to your doctor about this? I think that would be the best first step, to get some appropriate testing, find out some things, or rule some things out, and find out -- for sure, if possible -- what you're dealing with. That would help us help you as well.

Doc

You sound like me, man! Beer pretty much got me into the trouble I have now. Sounds like something is going down with your nerves. That 'ache' and tenseness you have in your leg sounds really familiar. When I started to get numb, it was gradual, it never went away, it eventually took over both feet like gloves. So far it's stayed there, I quit drinking and got medical help. Even though the numbness, stinging and shooting pains (aches) are confined to my feet, my legs suffer too, mostly from atrophy, and the fact that I seem to want to walk on the outsides of my feet because it feels like I'm walking on rocks. I talked to a podiatrist yesterday and he suggested an orthotic aid to keep my feet from rolling to the outside.

Look, if you nip it in the bud - quit drinking for a good while, maybe forever, you might only end up with a small amount of PN. You'll probably still need some medication. I was ignorant - I drank for a few years even though I had problems with my feet and legs. I didn't know anything about PN, and you're lucky you do. Best of luck and stay in touch

Brue (no idea why people called me this):Grin-Nod:

you say that when it started it was gradual but it stayed. see with me, as of now i'm walking perfectly fine and there is no pain, no ache, no numbness or anything anymore. nor did it spread to anywhere else in my body. from what i read about PN once it goes above the ankle you should feel it in your hands as well, but none of that for me. also it doesn't seem like PN would just go away on its own with no treatment or medication just after a few days. i'm starting to think maybe it's something else but who knows. i'm not drinking now, haven't been since it happened and plan to not drink for a good while at least. but still i'm wondering, and hoping, that maybe it isn't PN.

This is all true. It might just be a warning of some type. As though your body is somehow capable of being compromised. That's what happens as you get older, you have new physical experiences, and none of them are good. I drank off and on for about 20 more years than you have, and I can just about guarantee that something bad is gonna happen if you take the booze too far. The problem is, and remember this -- NEUROPATHY IS ALREADY A FACT IN YOUR BODY LONG BEFORE YOU SHOW THE PROPER SYMPTOMS, SOMETIMES YEARS BEFORE. Just try to remember that man. And good luck. I wish I was 29 again, but then we wouldn't have the internet!!

M147 - I have no idea if this is neuropathy or not. I hope not for your sake. My husband has PN caused by alcohol and a one time toxic ingestion of Rubbing alcohol. He also has damage to his brain. It all came on really suddenly. He was a binge drinker. He was a soldier and then a career police officer. now, he is now in a wheelchair and has numerous health problems. He is a really good man who has a really bad problem with alcohol. As the loved one of an alcoholic who has watched one slowly destroy himself, i begg you to get some help for your drinking. There is no shame in having a problem. Alcohol is an equal opportunity DESTROYER. Please take care of yourself. You are woth it!! I will be praying for you.

I just joined the forum, did a search for alcoholic neuropathy which brought me to your post. I've been a heavy drinker for 10 years. Last year, I began having balance/gait issues. Sometimes, just standing, causes my legs to shake.

Finally I saw a neurologist who diagnosed me with ataxia. MRI was fine. I don't have the pain, tingling, numbness that so many of you describe. My question is this; is ataxia usually a symptom of neuropathy? Seems like what I'm experiencing is a little different.

I do have a Vit D defiency, so started supplements, and have stopped drinking. Thank you all for being here. I hope I can recover from the damage I've done.

There are some studies showing that some ataxias are due to gluten intolerance.

If you Google "gluten ataxia" you can find many articles like this:
http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/Gl...ten-Ataxia.htm

Also the Gluten file has a heading about it:
https://sites.google.com/site/jccglu...e/glutenataxia

Going Gluten free may help. (if one is consuming beer, and has gluten intolerance it might be a double whammy issue, since beer is made from grain).

It is worth looking into IMO.

Ataxia, from what I understand is usually caused by a problem in the central nervous system (IE: the brain and pinal cord). My husband has centeral and periphial nervous system damage from alcohol. He has PN and vit d and b deficency.His Ataxia is severe as he can not even stand. What I have read about Ataxia in alcoholics, it usually comes from damage to the Cerebellar area of the brain. My husband's MRI did not show any damage in that area on MRI, but I don't think that really means anything.I hope you can find the answers you are looing for. Good Luck!

My charts include ataxia as one of the symptoms, I have hereditary PN. It is basically a gait disturbance that can vary enormously in severity and accompany a lot of dx's. I would consider it a symptom rather than a diagnosis. In my case it is caused by muscular atrophy.